July 4, Independence Day 2026

This Independence Day 2026 I share a mix of historical and modern quotes related to the concept of America and what it means to be an American.

July 4, Independence Day 2026

“History by apprising them of the past will enable them to judge of the future; it will avail them of the experience of other times and other nations; it will qualify them as judges of the actions and designs of men; it will enable them to know ambition under every disguise it may assume; and knowing it, to defeat its views. In every government on earth is some trace of human weakness, some germ of corruption and degeneracy, which cunning will discover, and wickedness insensibly open, cultivate, and improve. Every government degenerates when trusted to the rulers of the people alone. The people themselves therefore are its only safe depositories. And to render even them safe their minds must be improved to a certain degree.”  Thomas Jefferson in “Securing the Republic” (1784)

Jefferson quote suggested by DataRepublican in “Our 250th Anniversary” who highlights “Every government degenerates when trusted to the rulers of the people alone,” as a core responsibility for all citizens.

+ + +

John Adams: I have come to the conclusion that one useless man is called a disgrace; that two are called a law firm, and that three or more become a Congress!

While some quote collections ascribe this Adams, it’s actually from the movie “1776” screenplay by Peter Stone. I watched 1776 earlier this year, it’s available on YouTube, and was surprised how historically accurate it was. The concept of a “law firm” in Revolutionary times was not really how lawyers practiced, they were normally solo practitioners with a clerk and perhaps an understudy/apprentice (there were no written bar exams until mid-1800s). Even my grandfather, born in 1888, learned law by apprenticing himself to a practicing attorney. The ABA did not successfully lobby legislatures to require law degrees until 1930s.

+ + +